Flaming Heart
by SapphyreMyst
Summary: FFIV Zeromus's last words echo in their minds. An ancient evil awakens, threatening the lives of all on the Blue Planet. A prophecy emerges, and the darkness reappears in their souls. Yet this time, the heroes may not be able to stop it...
1. Prologue

**Flaming Heart**

No matter how tightly you locked away memories, they always came back sooner or later…

_Flames. Licking up the homes around her. Everything was either on fire or in danger of burning. _

"_Mother!" she yelled in a panic. Her crimson-haired mother had collapsed limply to the ground for a second time._

"_Rydia, be strong for me…" Arya breathed, her hand reaching up to caress the emerald-haired girl. Her body shook violently and went limp, her hand falling to the ground, eyes glazed over. _

"_Mother!" the girl screamed, staring into her mother's glassy eyes. The flames came then, licking the warm corpse's fingers, singeing them. Her mother's dead body was soon swallowed by roaring maws of fire._

Another memory struggled to break free of its bonds.

_The ship! The floor was slippery with ocean water, and it was getting harder to hold on to the edge of the ship as Leviathan, the Lord of all Seas, rocked the boat violently. Then suddenly, the floor disappeared below her feet, and she tumbled, the world around her a blur, suddenly on the wrong side of the rail. She tried in vain to climb back around as she tightened her pale, ivory-colored fist on the rail. But it was no use. A sudden feeling of weightlessness overwhelmed her as she started to fall._

"_Gaaah!" she shrieked._

"_Rydia!" the grandmaster monk Yang shouted. There was a splash as Rydia hit the water, an icy wave crashing over her head, swallowing her into the mysterious deeps of the ocean. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. She wrenched her jaw open to scream and swallowed water instead. She doubled up and coughed, choking up water and swallowing even more copious amounts of the salty liquid. The salt burned her throat, a different fire than the one she was used to. It was a watery sort of fire, icy flames searing her lungs. The salt scraped at her throat on the way down, rubbing it raw. She desperately wanted out of this dark, gloomy water world. But how could she escape when her thrashes grew steadily weaker and her strength and energy reserves grew ever smaller? They shrank like the bubbles floating toward the surface, getting smaller and out of reach._

_A strong arm suddenly grasped her around the middle, yanking her back up to the surface. Rydia's face broke the water first, tiny face scrunched up into a grimace, bright emerald curls floating in the water around her. Turquoise eyes opened to watch the choppy, foaming waves rock a gigantic wooden ship, the wind tearing and snatching at the sails, whipping it around, pulling it further away from her. Cecil!_

"_I've got you, Rydia!" Yang growled, towing her towards the ship. At the same time, a sharp tug dragged her downward, loosening the monk's grip._

"_Yang, there's something in the water with us!" she said fearfully, just as a miniature whirlpool started to form around her, spitting white foam, constricting her. A massive, hot…thing wrapped itself around her and wrenched her out of the water. She squeezed her eyes shut. Rydia reopened them to find herself in a large, dark, hot cave, filled with jagged teeth-like stones around the edges. She could feel a heartbeat, a pulse through the slimy, fleshy surface of the…floor? The truth wrapped itself around her mind with an ominous tone. She was in the mouth of Leviathan!_

Rydia could remember another one, with such clarity she almost surprised herself.

_Flames. For an instant, she was back in the village of Mist, watching her mother burn up again. But no, that was 10 years ago for her in the Feymarch, only 6 months in the Overworld. She was in the cave of Eblan. Flames. They danced around the lithe silver figure of the ninja in the midst of it all. Flames. They roared into a burning inferno as Rubicante, the elemental archfiend of fire, used his signature finishing move on the ninja prince of Eblan, Edge. Rubicante gave one more chilling laugh and vanished, leaving a singed, limp form on the rocky cavern floor. Flames._

Rydia's eyes flew open, and she opened her mouth to shriek an unearthly scream, one of pain, loss, and torture.

o.O.o.O.o

An unearthly shriek echoed through the dark Lunar landscape. A lithe, silver figure snapped his stormy-green eyes open, breaking his meditative pose next to the crackling fire. The ninja turned to the tent, where the scream resonated. Silently, he rose and walked over to the tall dragoon on watch. His dark dragon helm covered the most of his face, concealing his eyes to the world. Edge had never really liked Kain. You never knew what story his eyes were telling you…

"Will she be alright?" Edge whispered, forcing himself to set aside his disgust for the dragoon in front of him.

"She will never be," Kain whispered so softly that for a moment, Edge wondered if he was imagining things. "None of us will ever be all right again." There seemed to be an ominous message to his words, and Edge pondered that in silence. The two of them stood for a while like that, each immersed in their thoughts, as the silvery dust swirled around their feet.

Across the empty, barren Lunar Surface, against the silky black sky sprinkled with handfuls of sparkling stardust, a soft gentle breeze whispered, whispered to the creatures on the moon. It whispered to its friends, to the dark one who waited below, carrying news that the ones in the prophecy had arrived at last…


	2. Chapter 1: To Whatever End

**Flaming Heart**

The thumps of his footsteps echoed in Kain's ears as he descended the staircase. The tall dragoon looked up and watched the moon's crystal core pulse. The golden, creamy light pulsed, matching the rhythm of his heart. Slow, yet urgent. _So close…to the end._

Cecil had stopped, the holy paladin's head slightly bent, as though he were contemplating something. _Whatever happens, Cecil, know that all our thoughts will always be with you. _Rosa stepped forward and touched his shoulder. Kain wanted to look away, but kept his gaze steady. _Was it worth it then?_ he thought belatedly. _Was my love for Rosa, for _her,_ worth all the pain I've caused? I've no right to their forgiveness._

His eyes wandered over to where Rydia and Edge were standing. Rydia was looking forward into the distance, aqua-blue eyes grave and foreboding. It was just like her, to always look forward, to endure and survive even when all seemed lost. Always strong enough to keep moving on… Edge was gazing at Rydia, his eyes clouded with an emotion Kain couldn't read…and didn't want to decipher anyway. If his behavior towards the emerald-haired summoner accounted for anything, then it would be obvious to a six-year old what emotions the ninja felt for her. _Is it my fate then? To love_ them_? To betray my friends? To have everything I've ever wanted wrenched away from me? It seems so inevitable, even now. I can't even bear my own fate, or my life for that matter. All I _can_ do is to endure…and survive._

Cecil seemed to have regained his composure, and had stepped forward. The party lurched forward, following their unspoken leader. Kain let the others pass him, then he followed, watchful eyes on the backs of those he loved and never would have known were it not for the evil doings of a Lunarian. _Fate caused all this, and so it will be fate that will see the end of this._

_People's hearts are not toys for you to trifle with, Zemus!_

o.O.o.O.o

Cecil could hear them following him. It was so hard to believe that all he had cared about a few months ago was proving himself a worthy dark knight to his king and spending time with Rosa and Kain. His whole world had been turned upside down since then…

_It was fate, _he decided. _It was fate that made all this happen. If it wasn't fate, then I don't know what sent me on this journey, or caused all this pain and suffering to happen. If it was fate that began this, then surely it will be fate that will guide our futures._

_After all this time, _Cecil thought as they walked through the last crystallized floor before meeting Zemus, _I still wonder why things went the way they did. _His eyes wandered over to the emerald-haired woman-child. _For example, why did Rydia's mother send her dragon against me and Kain when she knew that it would probably cost her life? If that didn't happen, then she wouldn't have died, and Rydia wouldn't have been spirited away to the Feymarch, where she aged so much faster than she would have on the Overworld._

o.O.o.O.o

Behind him, Rydia was on the same wavelength. _Mother must have been trying to protect me, _she mused. She was aware of Edge's keen gaze directed at her, but she really didn't want to know why. She could guess. _He shouldn't though, _a part of her mind whispered. _Technically, you're only seven years old, just in the body of an adult and with powerful magical abilities. __**Shut up!**_she thought furiously. _He doesn't even know that my growth was accelerated, he actually thinks that I am seventeen… _Rydia bit her lip. All this mental talk about Edge was driving her nuts. _As he's always been liable to do on the journey…_

She averted her eyes and instead looked at Cecil. Cecil, who had promised to protect her after inadvertently killing her mother. She briefly wondered if her thoughts could reach him telepathically. _Oh Cecil!_ she thought towards him with all her heart. _If you can forgive Kain, won't you forgive your brother? Golbez, your blood, your only living family!_

o.O.o.O.o

Edge gazed at Rydia. She was so different from the girls he knew. She didn't react to his flirty opening lines. Not that he'd ever cared for the girls he flirted with. But what had really piqued his interest were her hissy comebacks. They'd taken to teasing one another, trying to out-insult the other. It was hilarious, when you thought about it. He didn't know when his innocent little crush had first started to morph into the real thing, burning hot desire to protect her, to see her happy. But he didn't mind. She had spunk, and he loved her for that. He looked ahead, to where the waves of hate were emanating the strongest. _Where Zemus is, _he thought. Immediately his stomach started to flip and he started to tremble. _I'm…I'm just shaking because this is all so exciting! _he desperately tried to convince himself. Nope, the trembling feelings were still there. _Why oh why can't I just run away and leave them here? _Looking at his friends, he grinned. _I guess I just like these crazy people too much. _His eyes returned to the summoner. _Especially that one…_

o.O.o.O.o

Rosa kept her eyes on Cecil. She could not, _would not,_ let him die. Or any of her friends, for that matter. So much had happened that under normal circumstances would only be brought on by chance. She could feel the beams of hate raking across her skin. Her heart rate accelerated, as if hoping to squeeze in a lifetime of beats before the end. _No, _she thought. _I will _not _let them die. I won't let our lives end when we're so close. I'm strong enough to keep us all alive. This won't be the end, I won't let it. We must see this through, Cecil!_

Of their own accord, her eyes moved to Kain. _Kain, you suffered in silence for my sake. Forgive me, Kain…and thank you._

o.O.o.O.o

Cecil shivered as the hate-_was it substantial?_- pulled at his skin. They writhed around him, trying to find a way in, to sink and twist their way deep into his soul.

_Why was Zemus able to control Golbez? Is Golbez truly evil after all? _His eyes wandered over to Kain, the tall, strong dragoon that had been his closest friend for so long. He remembered when Kain's mind was not his own, when he had betrayed them against his own will. _Kain was used as well. And even I've done unforgivable things. First Mysidia, then Mist…_

Cecil closed his eyes and drew in a crisp, icy breath through his teeth. He thought of Kluya, his Lunarian father. He thought of his sacrifice on Mount Ordeals, where he gave some of his light to Cecil, in an attempt to take away his darkness. _Sacrifices…_ He thought of all the sorrows, pains, and sacrifices his friends had willingly undergone to get them where they were now. _Anna, Palom, Porom, Tellah, Yang, Cid, Odin… So much depends on chance…on fate._

He reopened his eyes to find himself at the base of the stairs leading to where Zemus was imprisoned. Hate that had lapped and pulled gently at him before now crashed upon him furiously, drowning him in waves of sorrow and anguish. But his holy skin repelled it all, and the hate found no purchase on him. _Everyone has their fair share of regrets._

_But, Father…I _will_ follow the path you set me on!_


	3. Chapter 2: Battle for Peace

**Flaming Heart**

The whoosh of whirling air resounded in his ears. Cecil blinked, disoriented in the sudden darkness, so different from the bright crystal floors they had just passed. His heart thudded in his chest, loud as a blaring horn, as though it wanted to announce their presence to Zemus himself.

Speaking about Zemus…

He could hear explosions up ahead. The moans and screams yelled in a coarse tongue could only be emitting from Zemus. Suddenly someone else yelped, and then the yell was cut short. _Fusoya! Golbez!_ Cecil didn't need to urge his friends forward; they moved as one, pace quickening in fear. What would they find? Two motionless bodies sprawled on the dark crystal platform? Or one of the victorious sliding off into the darkness below, falling to a painful death on the sharp rocks below. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't want to think about the terrible possibilities.

Cecil skidded to a halt, eyes locked on the raging battle of will and might before him. Fusoya and Golbez were locked deep into their spells, an eerie light emitting from both of them. Fusoya was glowing with a soft creamy, golden light, full of goodness and light. Golbez was swathed in a mesmerizing dark purple light, seething and sparking with blinding tints of golden sparks, glowing and dancing across the tall mage like shadows flickering in and out of existence. The mages' hands were linked, reminding Cecil of Palom and Porom's Twincast, which united their separate magicks.

A shower of glowing meteors, swathed in holy light struck the evil sage in front of them. The dark, evil Lunarian was horrifying beyond words. His features were twisted and corrupted with hate and darkness. He screamed a grisly, hoarse, raspy yell that tore at Cecil's head, white-hot stabbing pains driving into his mind. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Kain sinking to the floor, head in his hands, shuddering with pain. _Ah, Kain…_

o.0.o.0.o

The yell ripped into his head, burning his mind like someone had just shoved fiery embers into his brain. Every fiber of his being screamed to let go of the pain, but he couldn't do anything to alleviate the torture, just sink to the floor, clutching his head. Then as abruptly as the pain had begun, it stopped, cut off with the end of Zemus's yell, leaving him feeling a bit lightheaded. Cautiously, Kain raised his head just in time to see Zemus keel over, his body slumping to the ground with a wet sucking noise with all the visage of a puppet whose strings had been cut. Amazingly, unlike the last two times this kind of pain had come to him, his mind was still blissfully peaceful and all his own.

"We did it…" Golbez murmured, sounding amazed that the evil Lunarian could have been defeated.

"What a waste. Such power and all of it warped to evil ends," Fusoya sighed, shaking his head.

"Hey!" Edge yelled, running forward. Looking at the fallen sage, he said indignantly, "You were supposed to leave him for me!"

As everyone chuckled, Kain stared at the shell of Zemus. He should have been glad that Zemus was dead; his revenge was fulfilled. But he felt empty somehow, disbelieving. He had wanted to finish this with his own hands for once, with the power and might of his friends next to him. Together.

Next to him, he could see that Rydia was also silent, her face a mask of uneasiness. Perhaps like him, she didn't quite believe that everything was over just like that. Sharing an uneasy look with Kain, she turned to Cecil and opened her mouth to speak. But she never voiced her doubts. Golbez was speaking, his voice a deep rumble.

"Cecil…my brother…." Cecil refused to meet his eyes. Kain fought a growl of frustration. Even after his brother had faced almost certain death, he still couldn't-!

Something beyond his back caused Cecil's head to snap up, eyes wide with horror. Kain spun around, bracing himself for the worst, but he still couldn't help gasping in shock as he beheld the sight before him. Zemus slowly rose to his feet, visible for one brief moment before he was engulfed in a dark torrent of what could only be described as pure evil. As he watched, a voice thundered from the whirlwind of evil.

"I am He who is called Zeromus, fed by Zemus's unbridled hate! I am He who knows naught but hate!" At the creature's words, a wild gust of evil winds flashed before them, threatening to push them off the dark crystalline floor. Kain heard the winds shriek, seeming to hiss words at him, evil spells in an ancient twisted tongue. _You will not avail! Evil will conquer all!_ they seemed to snarl. Kain made an effort to concentrate as Golbez and Fusoya spoke, their words lost in the unrelenting winds. Suddenly flaming rocks started to rain on Zeromus, but Kain could see that they did not damage the creature at all.

"Golbez! Use the Crystal!" Fusoya screamed, fighting to stay upright on his feet. Golbez drew something from his cloak and raised his hand. In his palm, Kain could glimpse a mighty, clear Crystal, one whose light and purity radiated off of it in great waves, instantly soothing his aching wounds. It was the Light Crystal… A pulse of brilliant white light flashed, radiance and holy might in its every wave. But there was something wrong. Slivers of shadows slithered their way through the light, and the glow flickered and faded within a meter of Zeromus.

The monstrosity laughed mirthlessly. "You tread the path of darkness. The Crystal will not work for you. You will only taint it further still! Allow me to show you a taste of _real_ power!" Zeromus snarled. He raised a tentacle arm in a sweeping gesture. The last thing Kain remembered was a dark sky full of flames.

o.0.o.0.o

Meanwhile back on the Blue Planet in the city of Mysidia, several ghostly figures floated over the Tower of Prayers, watching the friends still on the planet pray.

A wizened sage sighed. "We must do something!" he snarled to his companions, shaking a finger in the tower's direction. "Those prayers won't be able to make it to the moon with their magic alone and you know it!"

A spirit broke apart from the crowd and floated over to the sage, patting his arm reassuringly.

"Tellah, the Great Spirit already gave you leave to act as you want to help this cause, and you can. Search within you and use that knowledge and wisdom of yours," the blonde woman said.

"Don't you tell me what to do, Cecilia!" Tellah said, shaking off her arm. "But you are right," he continued more calmly. Looking over at Cecilia, he frowned. "And I suppose you want to see your son again, don't you?"

Cecilia bristled. "Well of course! What more do you expect from a parent, much less one who's barely even raised her youngest son! How could I not want to see him?"

Five other spirits drifted towards them. A red-haired woman crossed her arms. "We _all_ want to see our children on the Lunar Moon. We want to give them courage and strength to see the end of all this through."

Tellah nodded. "Well said, Arya. Well, those prayers won't make it to the moon without us. We should make a spirit bridge and guide the prayers to the moon and nurture the magic. And perhaps even _we_ shall be able to send them our parting words."

A spirit turned to Tellah. "The prayers are being sent off, Tellah."

Tellah grinned and pushed his ghostly purple glasses back into place. "Let's get this thing started then!"

The spirits swarmed and bent into the prayers, somehow flooding into the magic and infusing it with the firepower the prayers needed to reach the Red Moon. Tellah was swept into the stream of rushing light and suddenly emerged into a large cave beside a familiar blonde man dressed in red.

"Edward!" Tellah spluttered.

The hologram of Damcyan's king jumped. "Tellah?" he gasped. Shaking his head, he turned and proclaimed, "Have courage!" Only then did Tellah realize that Cecil, Kain, Rosa, Rydia, and Edge were sprawled on the dark crystalline floor, just barely clinging to life. _This was it._ This was the time when he would have to make his parting words. There was so much he wanted to tell them, and yet he knew he had to be brief. He felt transparent tears prick his opaque eyes. It was so cruel of the fates, to just give him this one moment in which to tell them his last words. There was so much in his heart that he felt that he might burst from the restraint on all his emotions. He had to tell them that he loved them, just as much as he did his Anna, his wife, and his twin-the Elder of Mysidia. In the end, all he managed to say was "Trust in yourselves." They would need to believe in themselves and their gut instincts for the coming ordeals ahead. _And not just facing Zeromus either._

He faded from sight then, and he watched as others floated down and gave forth their prayers and gifts of magic and strength. Six ethereal figures drifted down to the five people below on the platform. Cecilia smiled with equal parts happiness and sorrow and brushed back a stray strand of Cecil's hair. "My son," Cecilia murmured. "You've come so far." Staring into her son's deep blue eyes, she said, "You'll do what's right in the end."

Further down, a tall dragoon patted Kain on the back. "I'm proud of you, Kain," Richard said, smiling serenely down at his son.

Looking up into his father's covered eyes, Kain choked, "How can you be, when I've done so much damage? I let the darkness take over, Father."

Richard only smiled, his grin edging towards what could be called a smirk. "You faced it head-on and made it this far. In spirit, you have never turned your back on your friends. Don't turn your back on hope, my son. You'll need your friends in days to come."

As Kain stared up at Richard, clearly confused, a dark knight embraced his daughter for the first time in fourteen years. "Help your friends like your mother did for me. You'll be the greatest white mage yet; you just wait and see, Rosa." Rosa didn't reply, only attempted further to bury her tear-streaked face in her father's transparent shoulder. She couldn't remember the last time she had done this. Perhaps it was the day before her father had died in battle, when she had been five years old.

Arya held her daughter close, the two locked in a close embrace. "Don't let the ghosts of the past haunt you forever, Rydia. You'll need strength for what lies ahead."

The former king and queen of Eblan held Edge close, murmuring soft words of comfort. "Don't hide yourself from the world," the queen whispered. "You might lose the ones you love." Jerking his translucent head in Rydia's direction, the king grinned down at his son. "Especially _that _one."

All too soon, the spirits slowly faded from sight, soaring back to the Great Spirit. Tellah floated over to Arya. "Well, that was a closure of some sorts," he said.

Arya nodded. "We'll all be more at peace now, but I still worry for what lies ahead for them."

Tellah chuckled. "They'll do fine against Zeromus, don't you worry. They're stronger than you know."

Arya frowned. "I meant the other prophecy."

Tellah's grin faded. "Oh." The two spirits floated in silence, each lost in their own foreboding thoughts.

o.0.o.0.o

The next few hours went by like a blur for Cecil. He barely remembered what had happened after his mother had appeared. All he knew now was the endless dance of attack. He knew not how the battle fared for his companions, only that shouts interlaced with magic constantly slashed through the air, followed almost immediately either by meteors falling through the air to rain on Zeromus, trailing a heavenly glow, or by an uplifting sensation that meant that Rosa had Cured him of some wound and energy loss. Occasionally a great black-blue dragon would come roaring into existence, hurling a Megaflare at Zeromus before it faded from sight, twisting and flailing as Rydia cut off the spell that held Bahamut there. Cecil lost count of exactly how many times one of Edge's Fuma Shruiken raced through the air towards Zeromus to be rewarded with a screech of agony. He lost count how many times Kain shook the ground with his Jump. All that he was fully aware of was the swing of his own holy blade, the jarring sensation that raced up his arm that meant that he had hit home.

The last few moments were unbearably clear. "It comes to this!" Cecil yelled, not knowing how he knew the battle was nearly won. Rosa and Rydia's voices rose in a spell that joined their magicks, yelling out the words to an incredibly complex spell. Kain and Edge leaped into the air, timing their motions so that they moved as one. Bahamut came roaring into existence once more, and as he hurled a Megaflare infused with all the might of Rosa's Holy spell, Rydia somehow found the energy to simultaneously launch a Meteor spell. Then many things seemed to happen at once. The Holy Megaflare hit Zeromus just as flaming meteors rained from the sky, targeting the creature. Edge's Knife, the most powerful of all his Throwing weapons struck Zeromus just as Kain arced down from the sky, and as Cecil leaped forward, his holy blade swinging forward, meeting the Knife and Holy Lance in the center of which in theory could be called a head.

Zeromus shook them off, flinging everyone to the floor. Cecil watched in horror as Zeromus convulsed in midair.

"I will _never _die, so long as there is darkness in the hearts of Men!" it snarled. "Urgh… AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!" Zeromus slowly disintegrated in flash of bright light. The creature's long drawn out scream still echoed in the caverns of the Lunar Moon.

"You've truly done it!" a voice suddenly said from the darkness. Cecil nearly fell over from the shock of seeing Fusoya and Golbez erupt seemingly out of thin air. "I've hadno idea there was such strength in you. You of the Blue Planet may have grown more powerful than we of the moon," Fusoya continued.

"Well, it rather does look that way, doesn't it?" Edge said jokingly. Rydia made as if to make a sharp retort, but Kain quickly interrupted her.

"What of the last words Zeromus spoke?"

Rosa nodded, a worried expression on her lovely features. "As long as there is darkness…"

Fusoya strode forward. "There will _always _be darkness in Men's hearts. But as long as there is darkness, there will _always _be light. Much like the twin sets of Crystals and the darkened Underworld beneath your planet's brighter surface. There must always be equality between the two, just as the light within you rose up to fight the darkness within Zeromus."

"Now, that you mention it, I did rather feel aglow!" Edge said.

Rydia turned and narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you joking? It's a _miracle_ Zeromus didn't end up using _you_!"

"Heh! My love of justice kept him at bay, no doubt!" Edge retorted. Cecil couldn't help grinning at Rydia and Edge's banter. It surprised him how much he missed it during the last few solemn days. Out of the corner of his eye, Cecil noticed that Kain wasn't smiling. In fact, Cecil would say that his features were tightening with some emotion he could only guess at.

"What would you do now?" Fusoya questioned.

"We will return, to our planet," Cecil said.

"Our friends are waiting," Rosa added.

Fusoya nodded. "And you are lucky to have such friends. I look forward to the day we can meet again."

Golbez stepped forward from where he had been standing in the shadows. "Might you permit me to join you?"

Fusoya stared at him. "You would…join me?"

"Yes. I…cannot return, not after all I have done. And I would very much like to meet my father's people, at least one time."

"Yes, our blood flows in your veins, too. You understand that this will be a very long slumber?"

"I do." Golbez turned to Cecil. "Cecil, you called me 'brother'…"

Cecil could only stare at him. He had? He couldn't remember calling him brother. Right now, most of his memories seemed to be slightly fuzzy…

Unfortunately, his brother seemed to take his silence the wrong way. "I suppose I can expect no more than that. Up until now, all that you have suffered was because of me."

Fusoya turned to Golbez. "Well, it is time we have joined my people in sleep. We shall pray for the peace of your planet. Come." Fusoya walked towards the shadows, where he vanished into thin air.

Golbez began to follow him. "Farewell, Cecil."

Rosa turned to Cecil. "Cecil!" she cried.

"Is this all right? Letting him go?" Kain asked.

Cecil could only stare at him, not comprehending. There was something at the very edge of his memory that he knew was important…

"He's your brother!" Rydia cried. Was he able to set aside all of his hatred and forgive his brother wholeheartedly? My brother…

"Cecil!" Edge shouted.

_You'll do what's right in the end._

Cecil stepped forward, arm outstretched as though he could surpass the distance between he and his brother.

"Farewell…..my brother."

Golbez came to a halt, just before he had reached the edge of the platform. He turned to look at Cecil. It was a look full of meaning, and instead of the tall mage everyone else saw, Cecil seemed to see further, and into the violet eyes of a scruffy boy with rumpled short black hair. _My brother…_

_I forgive you._

**A/N:** Gosh, I've had a _heck _of a writer's block. Anyways, hopefully I'll be able to make more frequent postings as this fandom gets going. Fun fact: That last part in the Lunar Subterrene? All done by memory. Honest. I haven't touched my DS for 3 months now. So… I give a huge thank you to those who reviewed this. THANK YOU!

Stay tuned for chapter 3 of Flaming Heart!


	4. Chapter 3: A Meticulous Plot

**Flaming Heart**

_Five years after the battle…._

The sky over the Baronian kingdom began to flood with color, a beautiful conflagration of rosy hues and violet tints. In one of the many courtyards in the castle, a tall dragoon in dark armor wielded a spear, twirling it in complicated styles of attack, his head and face hidden by a dragon-shaped helm. He readied his lance and started calling out drills to his fleet.

A pale figure stepped from the shadows, shading her eyes from the blinding glare of the rising sun. Her white cloak rippled around her as she walked, her lapis lazuli eyes unerringly seeking out the dragoon. Catching her eye, the dragoon turned and shouted a few more indistinct commands then jogged over to the blonde woman.

"Your Majesty," he said respectfully, twisting his hand in a foreign salute.

Rosa grinned at her long-time friend. "None of that," she told him cheerfully. "I may be queen, but I'm not about to answer to titles."

Kain smirked. "I might as well make up for the two years during your reign that I missed."

The Baronian queen sighed. "I didn't miss your courtesies, but I sure missed your friendship. I don't know what I've done if you hadn't come back two months ago. Cecil is…" She trailed off, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Is he more or less better since the last council meeting?"

"At least he didn't yell at them to get the hell out of his council room and throw a vase at them again," she remarked. "I really don't know what's come over him lately. It just reminds me too much of…"

"Odin," they said together. The two friends stood like that for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally Kain stirred.

"You don't think…that he's been possessed?"

"I wouldn't know," Rosa said heavily. "So far all that's different is his temper and demeanor. But I admit that I _am_ a bit worried about the consequences should his… _condition_ worsens. Which reminds me," the queen said, straightening with all the authority of a queen. "I need you to carry out some preparations, just in case. I remind you that you are forbidden to tell this to anyone, especially Cecil."

Kain raised a brow. Rosa wasn't one to push her authority like this, but she was his queen as well as his best friend. "What exactly has such importance that I'm not allowed to tell anybody?"

Rosa grimaced. "Actually, to the common bystander, you're only escorting Edge and Rydia to Baron."

"Why?"

"Since we've defeated Zeromus, we've had an ongoing tradition to celebrate his defeat, just the five of us. After our wedding, Cecil and I made another tradition to celebrate with _everyone_. But you weren't here, and we lost track of Rydia after a while. Though, from what my ambassador, Will, says, she's supposedly in the Feymarch as of this half of the year."

Kain failed to see the secrecy of this mission. "Why is this so secret?"

Rosa grinned at him. "We're taking advantage of this. You will head to the two people in Baron who will most likely be targeted and tell them to pack their bags. You will take Cid and my mother with you aboard the Enterprise to Eblan, where you patch things up with Edge and have him follow you to Agart in the Falcon. You will help Cid and Lady Farrell settle in with Alyss and her husband and leave the Falcon there. Take the Enterprise to the Feymarch and pick up Rydia. Head back here as soon as you can. Go."

Head reeling, Kain bowed and walked briskly out of the courtyard to find Cid. _Good gods above… _he thought darkly.

o.0.o.0.o

"Now, m'boy, don't go rushing around. That's bad for your health. I understand your urgency, but first I have to finish this work of art here. Ain't she beautiful? That's the Eclipse for you!"

Kain stifled the urge to roll his eyes. "Cid," he said with strained patience. "We don't have time. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Beside him, Lady Farrell tapped her wrist. "We need to get going, engineer. Your assistants will get all that tinkering done for you in no time. But my daughter's orders wait for no one. Hurry up!"

Cid sighed and wagged a wrench at the head white mage of Baron. "Don't rush me. Ya don't get things done by rushing. But I admit that I do want to see my daughter again. See if that lad Harrison treats my Alyss right."

An hour later, they were finally on their way to Eblan. Kain had to admit he was nervous. He and Edge might have fixed up a few things before he left, but they weren't exactly the best of friends. Walking into a kingdom full of highly trained ninjas with a ruler who _probably_ hated him was not exactly at the top of his to-do list. But it was necessary.

Cid noticed his anxiety. "Hey, now. You'd trust Edge to look after your back, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same about you. You've nothing to worry about."

Kain disagreed strongly, although he didn't say so out loud. Edge had a temper as short as a pickle, and that was on one of his good days. The animosity between him and the ninja prince could only have worsened in the 5 years that Kain had been on Mount Ordeals. His rage would certainly be terrible to face. He had isolated himself from most emotions outside of Mount Ordeals, and was not terribly eager to revisit the emotion of hatred.

He followed the stout engineer and the willowy mage down the steps of the Enterprise. The ninjas beckoned to them, motioning forward into the darkened palace. The katanas strapped to their backs gleamed in the morning light, and he thought twice about escaping back to the airship.

Eblan's aura of mystery only intensified with the flickers of dancing shadows that could conceal a hidden warrior, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Kain felt increasingly antsy as the citizens of Eblan paused in their daily work to stare at the passing foreigners. Their faces were hard and expressionless. Kain briefly wondered how Edge had been ruling his kingdom. Or perhaps they were wary of the dragoon and his companions. _Obviously they have heard rumors that I was a traitor_, Kain thought sourly.

The sons of shadow led them through ornate archways and past rooms of sparring ninjas, books, scrolls, and venerable looking old men and women practicing calligraphy. The halls grew ever darker as they neared Eblan's throne room, and finally they paused before a large set of doors inlaid with runes and swirling designs. A pair of masked ninjas stood guard before them.

One of the ninjas turned and announced something in Eblanian through the heavy doors. An answering reply rang back in kind. The guards pushed open the doors, which swung inward to reveal a darkened room. If the palace was bathed in shadows, the throne room was practically seething with it. The shadows coiled and caressed the figures in the room, dancing and snapping like they were sentient beings. The air was heavy with magic and an ancient power that emanated from the silvery figure sitting on the ornate throne upon the raised platform.

His face was partially covered by a silver scarf, but the features visible were strong- proud and handsome. His emerald eyes shone with a driving force and were surprisingly unfamiliar to Kain, despite having looked at them for months. He was dressed in his usual battle attire, with a dark cape draped over a shoulder and held in place with the Eblanian insignia. Edward Geraldine was every bit the powerful, majestic ruler. But his face, normally alive with merriment and laughter, now looked as though it were carved of ice. Edge looked more serious and grave than Kain had ever seen him. An old man, bent over with age, stood by the throne. Kain recognized him as the Seneschal of Eblan. Though old, he had a dark dagger belted at his hip and Kain knew that he would defend his kingdom with just as much vigor and strength as one of the younger ninjas.

Their guard strode forward and bowed on a bent knee. Likewise, Kain, Cid, and Lady Farrell did the same. _After all, _Kain reminded himself, _he _is_ a king now._

"Rise," Edge said with a slight lilting accent. "You may return to your posts," he told his warriors. He lifted an eyebrow at the three foreigners out of place in the court of shadows.

"Kain Highwind," he sneered. "At last you've decided to grace us with your holier-than-thou presence."

His words irked Kain to no end- he'd almost forgotten how cutting the ninja's words could be- but still he swallowed a sharp retort and instead replied, "Edge, what put a thorn in your side? Spit it out and let it bother you no more."

Edge's eyes narrowed and seemed to grow icier. "You honestly don't know? Oh, I am wounded!" he said dramatically, placing his hand over his heart in mock hurt, though his eyes did not change from their hard appearance. He leaned forward on his throne, hands clenching the armrests, and glared at him. The tension in the room mounted.

"Where were you!" he finally exploded. "Where were you when we needed you? You left us at Mysidia without a word, not even a single goodbye! Have you even considered what you've put us through? You disappeared for five years! You didn't even show up at your best friends' wedding! Oh, one would have thought that you would at least show up to wish them happiness and support Cecil for the coronation, but oh no, not Kain the bastardly _idiot_. Where were you during the first International Congregation meeting? We ensured peace and prosperity for future generations without you! Do you even give a damn? Where were you when Edward was trapped in that freak sandstorm and almost died? Where were you when Rosa's dark half emerged and almost killed us all? Where were you when Rydia-"here Edge stumbled over her name- "disappeared? Where were you when I needed you? _Where the __**hell**__ were you!_" The king of Eblan spat out the last few words, and Kain realized that he had hurt Edge as well as Cecil and Rosa during his self-exile.

"Know this," he said quietly when Edge looked as though he wanted to yell some more. "It was never my intention to hurt you or my other companions, but I could not continue my past life as though nothing had happened. I could not live with the knowledge of what I had done, and that I still had to pay for my sins. I have finally found my peace and redemption on Mount Ordeals and now return to embrace life once more. Can you not set aside our past differences and be happy that I have returned? Let us be friends once more." He paused, waiting for Edge to speak and was painfully aware of the other people's gazes on him, especially Cid and Lady Farrell.

"Humph. Oh, you're _sorry_," Edge said scathingly, though Kain could see that the skin around his eyes had softened. With a groan, Edge slumped back in his throne. "Alright, alright," he surrendered, waving an airy hand in the air. "I forgive you. I just missed you, Kain."

"I missed you too, Edge," Kain replied, smiling.

Edge raised an eyebrow. "So why _are_ you here anyway? I can hardly expect you to crawl all the way here just to be yelled at." In his twinkling eyes, Kain saw that much of the old Edge had returned, but most of the unfamiliar coldness remained.

"Yeah, we have business here. Or have you actually forgotten the date, ninja idiot?" Cid spoke up. Kain almost fell over from the shock of hearing his voice, as he had almost forgotten that there were other people in the room as well. His second reaction was to wince at the engineer's rudeness, as did many of the remaining ninjas in the room. But then he reminded himself that this was how Cid normally spoke to Edge. As it was, Edge seemed unperturbed at the disrespect and only turned to look at the airship fleet master.

"I see you haven't changed much, Cid. And what's with the crap of forgetting the date? Today is October…" Edge trailed off, eyes glinting in horror. "Shit! I forgot! Today's the anniversary of Zeromus's defeat!"

"Please watch your language, young man! I don't care if you are king; you still may not speak like that in my presence!" Lady Farrell scolded.

Kain was about to introduce the white mage when Edge took him by surprise. He bent his head meekly and replied, "Sorry, Lady Farrell."

"Well," the king said, "now all who's missing is R-Rydia." His eyes tightened with some dark emotion, and Kain wanted to ask what had transpired between him and the summoner, but he knew that this was not the time.

"The gal's in the Feymarch," Cid said brusquely. "She's resumed duty as High Summoner of Mist and ambassador of the Feymarch. That's where you and Kain are headed. Did neither your ambassador nor Seneschal tell you?"

Edge froze, green eyes glittering dangerously. He whirled in the direction of the Seneschal, who coughed self-consciously. "I felt it best that you did not spend too much time brooding on that daydream maiden of yours. Your country needed you," the old man said sheepishly as Edge's eyes hardened.

He slammed his fist down on the throne's armrest, and for a moment, Kain feared that it might crack. "Damn you!" he swore. "Why the hell didn't Kaneko tell me earlier? She could have saved me a lot of stress. No, don't answer for her," he added as the Seneschal made to speak. "I'll ask her myself. Is there anything else, Kain?"

"Yes. We need to stop at Agart and drop off Cid and Lady Farrell."

Edge snorted. "I see that you have much to tell me about." And that may have been the understatement of the year.

o.0.o.0.o

After another long hour, in which Kain, Cid, and Lady Farrell filled Edge in on the troubles brewing in Baron and of Rosa's mysterious orders, and in which Edge proceeded to stalk off to yell at the Eblanian ambassador, a female ninja named Kaneko, who was apparently a childhood friend of Edge's. Kain was pleasantly surprised at Kaneko's calm, logical personality, although it was shown that she also had sharp wits and a steel tongue when angered, as it was when Edge continued his stream of insults.

"You know, Kain," she had said furiously, glaring daggers at Edge, "I'm glad that you're with this _arrogant_ hothead. If someone doesn't watch him, he'll surely make a fool of himself and leap into danger needlessly."

Edge had scowled and stalked off to his rooms to pack, and soon the four were on their way, with Cid and Lady Farrell aboard the Falcon and Kain and Edge piloting the Enterprise. As Cid had upgraded both airships during Kain's self-exile, Kain was pleased to see that the entire trip only took a few hours that ordinarily would have taken half the day. As it was, they were descending into the Underworld many hours ahead of schedule.

A comfortable silence had settled between the two old comrades-in-arms, and Kain was rather glad of the reassuring _whoosh_ of rushing hot air. It was very similar to the sensation of Jumping, and it soon lulled him into a state of meditation of which he had perfected during his time on the scraggly peaks of Mount Ordeals. He thought of nothing, and allowed his mind to drift in emptiness and serenity, feeling nothing.

He stirred as soon as he felt the deck angle sharply downwards, and the old uneasiness of airships returned. He had never felt entirely comfortable on an airship, for he did not trust anything that had the ability of the air to safely transport him without the sureness of his own two feet to catch him when he landed.

He watched the island leading to the mysterious Feymarch draw ever closer with a sense of trepidation. Rydia was unknown territory, and he could not be sure of her reaction. He could not even be sure of Edge as support. He noticed that Edge looked increasingly anxious as they began their descent. He was not sure of what had occurred during his absence, but he had surmised as much that the ninja and the summoner were not on terribly good terms at the moment.

The dragoon stepped off the airship and bravely walked towards the dark, shadowy cave, where the walls glowed from the roiling magma underneath, the ninja king following closely behind.

**A/N:**I am really sorry for the delay, but it took some time and some awesome bursts on inspiration before I was able to continue. As it is, I wanted to address a few issues that my paranoid mind brought up. This is **not** a CecilxKain pairing. It simply means that they are the most important characters in this story, although you won't be viewing things from Cecil's perspective for some time yet for reasons that will be made clear in the next few chapters. I already have most of the plot mapped out. My problem (and the reason why you haven't been hearing from me in a long time) is finding inspiration and time to translate the plot map into detailed words. I think that this story will take approximately twenty chapters (more or less) to complete, given the pace I have set. Things will really start to pick up after this chapter. I will **attempt** to get out the next chapter as quickly as possible.

I hope I got Cid's character right… Well, thanks for reading!


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